Retirement Lists

Safety in Burlington, Vermont

View of the Burlington Marketplace, a blocks-long pedestrians-only shopping and entertainment street in downtown Burlington, Vermont.
Photo by Carol M. Highsmith via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Burlington safety

Burlington safety requires careful reading of broad incident data and flood maps

Burlington Police reported 30,110 incidents in 2024, with about 700 fewer than 2023 and nearly 2,000 more than 2019. The department says the total includes more than 100 categories, including noise complaints, so it is not a citywide crime rate.

The department also reported 3,959 stacked incidents and 1,570 online reports. The city flood layer identifies areas near Lake Champlain, the Pine Street Barge Canal, Potash Brook, and the Winooski River. Review the exact block for lighting, entry, traffic, flood, winter footing, power, parking, and care access.

The safety picture

Start with the overall picture, then look at the details that matter for daily life.

Violent Crime
497 per 100k

Good

Property Crime
4,409 per 100k

Moderate

Day to day confidence

Nighttime comfort, response, scams, stability, and solo living add practical context.

Major Disaster Declarations Since 2000
17

Weather and natural risks

Review each risk in its own right before choosing a neighborhood or property.

Natural Disaster Risk
Low
Flood Risk
Moderate
Wildfire Risk
Low
Storm Risk
Moderate
Heat Risk
Low

Burlington in everyday life

Could Burlington work for you?

What may work well

  • The police report makes category limits visible.
  • The city publishes a flood-hazard overlay.
  • A block-level review can identify practical fixes before a move.

What to think about

  • Incident totals are not a complete crime measure.
  • Flood, snow, ice, power, and traffic affect daily access.
  • Neighborhood conditions vary within a compact city.

Review Burlington safety by block and hazard

  1. Label the police measure

    Record that the 2024 total is a broad incident count, not a per-capita crime rate or neighborhood measure.

  2. Check the exact home

    Review lighting, entry, locks, parking, flood overlay, drainage, basement, power, snow, traffic, and care access.

  3. Walk day and night

    Use the proposed home, transit, grocery, waterfront, and hospital at different hours and note comfort and return.

  4. Prepare for disruption

    Keep alerts, heat, water, medicine, charging, documents, contacts, transport, and a temporary plan ready.

Questions retirees ask

Is Burlington safe?

The reviewed data do not support a single citywide label. Use the dated police report, exact block review, lighting, entry, winter access, and flood checks.

What does 30,110 incidents mean?

It is a broad 2024 police incident total across more than 100 categories, not a per-capita crime count.

Which flood areas matter?

The city overlay identifies areas near Lake Champlain, the Pine Street Barge Canal, Potash Brook, and the Winooski River. Check the exact parcel.

What should be ready for winter?

Heat, medicine, food, charging, alerts, snow access, contacts, transport, and a temporary plan for outages or impassable roads.

Burlington safety is most useful when broad incident data are read honestly and paired with block, flood, winter, lighting, entry, power, and care-route review.

Sources

Safety depends on the neighborhood, the places you go each day, transportation, and personal comfort.

Use official local sources and recent neighborhood-level context before choosing where to stay, rent, or buy.

Not yet available for this place: Overall Safety.

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How this city research is made

Retirement Lists uses documented public sources and methods to research, review, and correct city information. Read our Editorial Policy.